Saturday, February 4, 2012

It's been a sad week for former child stars, and reminds us of some of the serious problems fame brought to all three of the following kids. Here is the round-up.

Taran Noah Smith arrested. The youngest Home Improvement kid was arrested after police found pot in his car. In 2001, he sued his parents over the money he made as a minor, alleging they were squandering his trust fund, including a house and a boat. "My mother always used to tell me to look out for the sharks, people who were going to take my money," Smith said. "Turns out she was talking about herself."

Daniel Radcliff was an alcoholic. The Harry Potter star admits he had a drinking problem. "I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work … I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.” Radcliff points to the pressures of all his obligations to the public as to why he turned to alcohol. "I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone. I was a recluse at 20.”Radcliff also reveals how he was bullied in school for being a child star, and how hard it is to go out in public and be recognized all the time.

Leslie Carter overdoses. The sister of pop stars Aaron and Nick Carter was featured on the reality show "House of Carters" with her siblings. She overdosed earlier this week.

The Carter children have had a long-standing feud with their ex-manager--their mother. In 2007, 20/20 interviewed the family (for the second time). Reporter Chris Connely asked Nick and Aaron, "You know a lot of people out there are saying, guys, she sacrificed her life for these boys' careers, she gave them every opportunity. These ungrateful boys." To which Aaron replied, "But at the same time, we gave her a job for 12 years."

Aaron expressed frustration with his mother's mismanagement of his money. He believes his mother did not pay him what he earned. "She's lied so much that she has to cover a lie with a lie," he said.

When Jane Carter asked what the price of fame was, she said, "The loss of my family." Four out of five of Jane's children were estranged from her, as well as her ex-husband. At the time of the interview, Aaron lived with his father. Ironically, Leslie Carter was the only child not to be estranged from her. Jane was her manager. "It's going to be fun this time," Jane said.

"Leslie, my advice to you would be, don't let mom manage you," Aaron said in 2007.

Wow, Jane doesn't get it. That affection between Aaron and his father at the end of the second video cannot be faked. That's all he wanted from his mother too. Such a shame. And now a young lady is dead and this family will not be able to grieve together because of all the estrangement.

Exactly, Jane doesn't get it. It's all about how SHE is hurt and what the boys did to HER. And talking about the kids' drugs and partying to try to cast doubt on their credibility? Shame on her. Jane reminds me so much of Kate. It's scary to think when the kids get older and a little more articulate they could be sitting in Aaron's chair. And there will be Kate still defending her side of things.

Jane says she has a right to write a book about all this and tell her story. No, Jane, your job is to protect your children and not exploit them. Not write books about this whole mess.

Also the poor me card, I found my husband in bed with another woman. Therefore everything he ever does, including protecting the children, is suspect. Sounds familiar too.

Also same ironies there with how affectionate Aaron was toward his father, the one actually calling their mother out on selling the boys' stories.

But since these three are in the news this week, I only featured them.

A post on all the child stars with problems would be pages and pages long. There are virtually no child stars who don't have some issues, and if it looks like they don't, in five or ten years they will be telling us all about all their issues.

I wonder what will happen to the Gosselin kids. Fame seems to have this affect on people whether you admit it or not. Even if they swear they'll never change, they plan to stay grounded and all that. I mean it never works. Kids younger and younger because they are famous are slipped alcohol, drugs you name it.

Up until now all we've gotten is Kate's books, her perspective, her words. Will be interesting to see what the kids will actually say without Kate being there. You know when Kate's no longer in charge of their lives, 18 is majority of age and all that. What then Kate? Are we going to see the Gosselin kids estranged? Are we going to see them in court fighting over money or for DUI, arrested, drunk?

Tatum O'Neal, Macaulay Culkin among others. All these celebrity kids. Either it's something in the water or I don't know but most of the kids seem to fall at some point. Demi Lavato, Jamie Lynn Spears, Justin Beiber, etc.

This is related to the welfare of children, not specifically to these particular cases, but health insurance for the Gosselin children was mentioned several times on the last post, with speculation about how Kate has acquired it.

I suggest that there is a very good chance she has NO coverage for those children, unless they are covered by Jon at work.

This is exactly the kind of responsibility Kate has shown herself unwilling to accept.

This same story is the norm for child performers. A young star who turns out happy, well adjusted, not addicted to anything and WITH ALL THEIR EARNINGS INTACT, is so, so rare.

The Gosselin children are not going to see any of their money. Kate is going to spend every dime until it is gone. Then she will do the "Jane tour" crying about how she (they) provided them(selves) with private schooling and a beautiful home. She will be flabbergasted that they are bitter about not having any of their earnings. It's beyond sad. But since every single thing we have predicted going back to 2007 has actually happened, I have no doubt this is how this saga will turn out.

Her description of what she wants in a husband, as told to Dr. Drew was a description of Pre-divorce Jon.&&&&&

Pulling this comment over from yesterday because it's so on point. Everything Kate claims she wants she HAD. But she just pissed it away, didn't she? I doubt she will ever find a husband/father who will be as dedicated as Jon was, the man worked his butt off and practically had to parent for two.

And yes, this IS the norm for child stars. I remember the sheeple insisting on the opposite, that this is not the norm for child stars. But when pressed to name a child star who will actually go on record to say that they had a good experience, they kept all their money, their parents were great, and they suffered no ill effects, the names I hear are ..... Ron Howard....Ron Howard.......Ron Howard.

There is literally one former child star who will admit he made it through without a scratch LOL.

OH another thing that I always said. Even if say only 30 to 40% of child stars end up with problems (and the reality is, it's more like 99%), why would you even RISK it.

If you are considering walking into a building that has a 30-40% chance of collapsing on you, would you chance it because odds are you'll be okay? I don't understand why KAte would even want to chance that her kids might end up like this. But she did.

Narcissism must be some kind of genetic quirk. Jane Carter reeks of self-centeredness and poor-me...after ALL I've done for them. The same with Kate. A person could talk to her until they're blue in the face and tell her a hundred tragic stories about child exploitation and she'd still be in denial. I think that's the most frustrating part of watching the Gosselin story. You can see what's coming.

Those are the same odds one has on a school bus. Or crossing the street.

&&&&

What? No it isn't. PEople would be dying left and right! Four out of Ten people would be dead. The odds of getting killed in a car accident or cross the street are much much lower. About 40,000 Americans die in car accidents a year--that's not 30 or 40%. That's what, about .01% of people in a population of over 300 million?? It makes sense to get into a car to get to A to Z because odds are you won't die. It does not make sense to become a child actor or child reality star, because odds are, you will get screwed up.

No, the kids are not supposed to stay shut in their homes. WHen did anyone say that. We're talking about molding CELEBRITY kids. That's the point--they should be able to go out of their homes and be normal. The kids shouldn't have been made to be famous because this is what it does, it's been proven over and over and over, that is the point. Kate should have never put her kids on that TV show and she certainly should have taken them off before it ever got so out of control.

That's life, let me make it simple for you. I believe being a child star increases a child's chances of getting screwed up astronomically, and the evidence backs it up. I'm not sure how many more child stars need to speak out about how horrible things were for them, lose all their money to their own parents, get arrested, or get themselves killed, before people will accept this.

that's life said... 15 Those are the same odds one has on a school bus. Or crossing the street. Isn't your arguement always 'are the kids expected to stay shut in thier homes the rest of thier lives?' =====Troll, please... I'd like to see you produce even ONE example of Admin ever saying that. Good luck, you won't find it but I hope the search keeps you busy.

If anyone has built prison walls around the G8 it's Kate Gosselin herself.

Ron Howard, Jodie Foster and Brooke Shields are examples of child stars who turned out to be not just normal, but extremely successful.

Yes, they probably had some problems along the way, but not on the scale of what others have - Leif Garrett, Todd Bridges, etc...

I admire Ron Howard especially - from Opie to a director of movies like Ransom, Arrested Development (tv show), etc...

Not sure what the difference is - parents who encourage a career and not be a mooch, do the complete oposite if Dina Lohan, etc....

God bless the Gosselin kids...they had no choice to be a sideshow...and now they have to live with that for the rest of their lives. I hope other family members (Kevin, Jodie, etc.) can step in and get the kids some help.

Just to continue with the discussion of Kate taking the children's TLC earnings as her her own is the fact that the paltry little 15% of the kid's winning that is put aside for them can be accessed by Kate for their needs anytime before they reach adulthood. My guess is it is this 15% that is being used to pay elementary school tuition for the children, leaving Kate's money untouched for her own use. She might even be using it for Doctor's Dentist bills, etc. I would expect that 15% will be 0% before long. Kate will not put give her kids any consideration in terms of saving this money for college or investing in their future.

Jodie Foster had at least three stalkers, one of whom was stalking her at college and then proceeded to try to assistant Reagan.

Brooke Sheilds had serious problems with her mother. She was estranged from her for years, felt pushed into acting and modeling, and openly stated she will NOT let her own two daughters go into the business. It's speculated this is why she was so close to Michael Jackson, she felt she understood where he was coming from with being pushed into the family business.

So I guess you can turn out all right, but a president will almost be killed in your name, and you'll be estranged from your mother for putting you in front of the public since birth.

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 11 OH another thing that I always said. Even if say only 30 to 40% of child stars end up with problems (and the reality is, it's more like 99%), why would you even RISK it.________________________________________________....and, as Kate never lets everyone forget, it's "times eight" for the Gosselins. The odds are far worse for the Gosselin children as they've all been exploited.

Debbie Downer - I'm not sure I agree about Brooke Shields coming out unscathed. She was sexualized before her time! She has had to fight with a particular photographer to win the rights of nude photos he took of her when she was only ten. Ten! Her mother did not protect her adequately.

I'm not sure about Jodie Foster either, I think I remember hearing about her having a difficult time as well.

Lordy bee, Jane Carter reminds me so much of Kate. Down to 'sacrificing' for her (talented) kids, rewarding herself materially along the way, blaming and throwing her kids and former husband under the bus, and totally not seeing her role in the whole mess. So sad that all they ever wanted was a loving mom, not someone obsessed with making money off of their backs. As flawed as Jane is, they still want to love her, but she continues to use them by writing tell all books about them. Eerie how similar Kreider is , only her kids aren't talented and since they never had protection from their own greedy mom, I suspect they have little money to call their own. Because they are no laws to protect "little kids playing in front of the camera" , it looks like momster can continue to blow money anyway her little pea brain desires. She maintains control over them because she has this money and made sure their dad was left with little after the divorce. It's a travesty

Tweet to Kate:biblicabibs@Kateplusmy8 I have a family recipe, but you're not going to publish them on your blog as your own are you?Kate's answer:@biblicabibs sounds sarcastic... I'm not into plagiarism, no... But thanks for asking..3 hours ago - Twitterrific ***********************************Ummmmm, isn't that one of the reasons "your" cookbook (and I use the term loosely) wasn't ever published? You've been called out on your so called "original" recipes more times than I can count. I guess you're into lying about not being into plagiarism.

That's Life, we have seen this same M.O. over and over, don't you get tired of it? YOU started off snotty, with your isn't that your argument that kids should stay inside?? Wtf? I.e., making it about the poster ("your" argument), and then completely twisting, distorting, churning up and down and around, exaggerating, shit stirring what we've said here to suit your purpose. No one ever said the kids should stay inside, not once. We have said the OPPOSITE.

Do not throw snot, then cry when it's thrown back. I don't want your snot on me.

There is a difference between distortion and snot, and adult debate. One is what you did, the other is something completely different.

You know what's so funny about this too. Is that Daniel Radcliff was so overwhelmed by stardom he ended up just saying inside all the time. A recluse! His words, not mine.

We don't want kids to stay inside. We want kids to be NORMAL. It's child stardom that draws kids into being recluses. It's the very thing you seem to think is just fine and dandy that is screwing up these poor kids.

Kate Cry-duh, completely agree about Jane. Sadly, this is the fate Kate is destined to. Ten years from now STILL not getting it. She never will.

Aaron and Nick couldn't have made themselves any clearer. They didn't want a business manager, they didn't want to talk about the business. They didn't want to talk about money or manage money or make them famous or all the other things. They wanted mom to be MOM. They were crying out for just a mom to love them. Not someone to "manage" them. Not someone to throw them under the bus (your own kids, how disgraceful). Not someone to write another dang book.

Jane is classic Kate isn't she? Aaron, Nick, their dad, her two other daughters, and everyone else who has called her out is wrong. But Leslie (the golden child?) and I are right. It's interesting to watch this interview with hindsight, because here we are five years later and tragically, Leslie is dead. Aaron's words of caution were prophetic.

Jane needs serious help. She screwed up her family, and can't eve begin to accept that. I have no doubt in my mind Kate will turn on her own children if she has to to make her point.

This is why people don't like to post here. The 'snot' and 'condescension' astounds.

Heaven forbid someone have a different opinion. Sometimes, people here are sheep, too. JMO

############

Here's the problem, that's life. You made a comment and were snotty yourself. Not only that, but you didn't think about what you wrote, and called out Admin for using statistics YOU were completely wrong about.

That's called "trolling". You'll probably get called out anywhere you try that, because you're not adding an alternate opinion, but trying to discredit someone else's.

As for people not liking to post here, have you even LOOKED at the number of comments this blog gets? Lots of different opinions, lots of different comments, HUGE numbers.

Your comment just looked like hit and run. Discussion is the usual style here. Try it, you might like it.

The stars who are nice adults now are where they are in spite of their childhoods, not because of it.

There are very few adult child stars who don't have some kind of horror story from their childhood. Just because they made it through it doesn't mean it was good for them.

Brooke Sheilds was made to be very sexualized at a young age. She made that movie about a brothel where she was naked, and at 16 she was portraying sexual acts in Blue Lagoon. It was a controversy even then, even then people were saying it's not right to sexual this CHILD. God knows how many pedophiles got off on her movies. Sick.

Here's a way to throw in the same point without being a jerk about it:

Well, child stardom may have it's drawbacks, but I don't think it's any different than all the other dangers out there a child could get himself wrapped up into. Dangers are out there no matter what your child does.

I may completely disagree with that opinion, but I have no problem with how it's presented. Huge difference.

You know, I'll give her credit. She at least TRIED to do this cruise thing without bringing the kids' names into it. I think if she had it her way she would do everything without them and not have to talk about them ever again. But when she realized she utterly failed in doing something by herself and no one was signing up, it was right back to the kids. They're coming along, join us!

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 180 I was going to do a post on Justin Beiber who said in his documentary sometimes he just wants to go back to normal, go home, stop all this crazy touring, just be a kid. (yes, I watched his documentary, shut up) And from everything I can see it looks like his parents are doing a good job by him. Which is impressive given how young his mom is. Even he is like, I can't take this.

Even if your parents have their heads on straight, you're still f-ed up. ********

I just have to say I laughed at this ..."(yes, I watched his documentary, shut up)". I use the "shut up" line for instances like that all the time. It's been my favorite saying for awhile and I love it when other people use it too. I'm weird, I know.

Anyway... So what if Jon went out for a drink and was with a woman. Other men do it every day and as others have said, at least he wasn't having his foot licked. He's entitled to have a relationship with a woman and I haven't heard anything about HIM dropping hints for a reality show trying to find someone.

Also, no way in hell would he ever get back together with Kate. He probably still thanks his lucky stars that he's rid of her.

I don't know who is telling Kate to be so schmaltzy but she is using so much sugar on twitter it's making me ill. Sometimes you have to be nice in certain situations, even if you don't want to, and by the way Kate is tweeting lately it's obvious she is not being nice because she wants to. Painfully obvious from her past that Kate is just not a nice person.

I also agree that none of her fans that go on the cruise (if it happens) will ever say anything bad about the experience or her. Look how long it took for anyone to say something about the auction in Australia. I still don't believe that went for $1,500. Even it it did, they lost money on her. I get the feeling Kate gets random people to tweet something for her sometimes. Was odd how that popped up.

I wonder if confidentiality agreements will be handed out on the cruise? I really wouldn't be surprised, lol

Another thing concerning about Justin Bieber was how much he is surrounded by adults. Adult after adult are his good friends. That's fine, but a kid needs to have friends his own age. This is another thing his mom does so right, they fly out his friends sometimes to concerts. But there are still long stretches of time where the kid is surrounded by people only in their 30s, 40s and 50s. No wonder kids grow up so fast.

This is how so many child stars get into drugs and sex so early--they are surrounded by people a lot older who are doing that, so they think well I guess it's normal for me to do it too.

Passengers on board two different Florida-bound cruise ships have been hit by a fast spreading norovirus, The Miami Herald reports.

The gastrointestinal sickness struck two Princess Cruise Lines ships, the Ruby Princess and the Crown Princess, both en route to Fort Lauderdale.

Ahead of the liners next departures this weekend, the cruise companies sent out an “emergency notification” to passengers notifying them that their trip will be delayed due to a norovirus attack.

“It will be necessary for the ship to undergo a prolonged and additional disinfection in Port Everglades on Sunday,” the line said in its message to passengers, The Miami Herald reports.

Aboard Crown Princess, a total of 140 passengers and 18 crew have been affected by the illness. A total of 81 passengers and nine crew have been affected by the illness aboard Ruby Princess, according to Karen Candy, manager of media relations for Princess, in an e-mailed statement Friday afternoon, The Miami Herald reports.

“The ship continues to undergo the highest level of sanitation to stop the spread of illness, and a comprehensive disinfection of the ship’s public areas and all passenger cabins will occur during turnaround this Sunday using additional cleaning crew who will be brought aboard. As a result, passenger embarkation will be delayed until 2 p.m.”

Gastrointestinal illness is becoming a routine part of cruise operation, with some pretty awful stories turning up.

But, as other posters have said, that's only one of the problems on cruise ships.

Here's a link dealing with sexual assaults of minors on cruise ships:

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/sexual-assault-of-minors/

Like all other crimes, it is virtually certain that these crimes are drastically unreported. 4,000 to 6,000 people on a ship, and no checking at all for pedophiles, even for crew.

Apparently, the cruise lines hide behind the agencies they use to recruit staff, and the agencies do no checking at all. Not that you can check these things in most countries -- countries where the staff comes from -- in the first place.

(Administrator) said... 30 ..we have seen this same M.O. over and over, ..then cry when it's thrown back. I don't want your snot on me.-------------------------------------You said it perfect here. What happened about letting it go. I've been a long time lurker here and, your right, the same M.O. here. One person says a comment of opposition and the shark frenzy starts and the name calling begins, which is YOUR OWN #3,#4 RULE.

Then the censorship begins. Only to the ONE who disagrees mind you. The sharks are the predictable ones though. You can count on the same ones to do the worst name calling and mud slinging. I call it the Milo syndrome. They have to protect Admin. blog. Double standard I say. It's clear as day when your just a reader.

So why do I read here you'll ask? Same M.O. there. I do enjoy the comments by the more inelegant,considerate ones.

Now lets see if this gets through. I doubt it though. DOUBLE STANDARD!

I watched a bit of an entertainment show earlier today ("shut up") about Demi Moore and her apparent obsession with staying thin and looking young (she's 49) and it was just so SAD.

My favorite poster of all times is a picture of Golda Meir with the caption: "But can she type?"

And Gloria Steinem's response to how great she looked when she turned 50:

"Women have been lying about their age for so long, who knows what 50 really looks like?"

I know how much I benefited from the work of these women and others like them. At the same time I credit my own mother, who stopped working the day before I was born and went back to work on my 27th birthday, for my successes.

That said, I find it so sad that someone talented like Demi is so obsessed about growing older and I am completely disgusted that anyone would idolize (just admit it) a woman who gave birth to 8 beautiful children for the sole purpose of using them as a meal ticket.

Kate defines herself and I find her definition pathetic and wanting. God help those children.

I believe Kate is lying about her 9 pm run. She has been saying for well over several weeks about her "new" bedtime. She is not running at 9 pm, then coming in, showering and going to bed. No, real runner does that.

I think she makes things up to show how dedicated she is and how much she struggles with her 8, count em 8 kids.

"Under California law, parents of child actors are required to put 25 percent of a child's income into a trust fund but can spend the rest as they see fit until the child turns 18."==============================================

I have heard Demi is obsessed with her age too. I find that so sad because the thing is, she looks good for her age. She looks fine. I think a big part of her relationship with Ashton Kutcher had to do with her pretending she was 30, not 50. Eventually he wouldn't be able to handle someone with issues like that anymore, and here we are.

Anonymous, again, there's my email to discuss how the blog should be run. Ending a comment with a dramatic "let's see if this gets through!" is immature at best.

I will not fall for a troll that shoots out snot then cries when it gets thrown back, period. I will not be bullied into letting crap like that through because "i'm not letting all viewpoints" etc. No, I'm not letting TROLLS. And by the way, no posts today were deleted. It's all still there.

I am savvy enough now to tell the difference between a troll, and someone interested in serious debate. A troll is someone who personally attacks another poster and throws out wild bogus statistics to back their claims that have no basis in any rational reality. That is trolling and shit stirring no matter which way you slice it, especially when they respond back crying at the reaction. Someone interested in serious debate would say, I didn't mean to sound like a troll, let me rephrase. Nope, didn't see any of that. I'm not going to ask people not to put trolls in their place. I do ask people to be respectful to those who show respect. It's a two way street.

Enough about how the blog should be run. I know what works for this blog and what doesn't, the following here is all the proof I need the blog is fine, and there's always my email if you have suggestions for improvement.

Anonymous, by all means, present another viewpoint. As we suggested earlier, please come up with some child actors all grown up who have nothing but good things to say about their childhood. Maybe I missed a few. Let's disprove the point of this post. I guess the Hansons turned out all right.

Beth, I think it was the opposite. Kate didn't move to CA because they're too strict. You can't touch your 15% in CA, but in PA, she can dip into the children's trusts for school, etc. Which in my opinion, renders that trust meaningless. There will always be necessities for a child. It's a joke.

I think the 25% in CA is wrong, not sure where that number came from. It's only 15% required to be held in trust in CA, according to SAG. But parents can't touch it at all, not even for emergencies.

CA is actually stricter than PA, in my opinion. CA is one of the best states to be in if you're a child actor. Though that's not saying much.

Admin 5: I think a big part of her relationship with Ashton Kutcher had to do with her pretending she was 30, not 50. Eventually he wouldn't be able to handle someone with issues like that anymore, and here we are.************

From what I gather, it is not clear that the age difference bothered Ashton (?) OR Demi's behavior and actions trying to re enact being 30. Just trying to be fair - I am not interested enough to explore it further. I just HATE that women are still being judged and judging themselve by their looks alone.

I really don't want to get started on the sexualization of children, which I consider an abomination.

NE, I can't stand the double standard with women either. No one ever talks about how old male actors look. The older they get the hotter people seem to think they are. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are still cover boys and probably always will be.

But name an actress in her 50s, 60s who is tabloid fodder. Meryl Streep isn't followed by paps. Never. She's not seen as some hot aging babe. She's just seen for her good acting. Very few actresses her age are working at all. No wonder people like Demi, who were at the top of their game in the 80s and 90s, feel so depressed when men in their SAME group are still getting tons of roles and they're not.

What's crazy is I don't think most average people feel this way about women at all. I revere the older women in my family. Lots of "older" women are very successful in politics and in all kinds of other careers.

I think Hollywood just sort of thinks they don't bring much value to the industry. In most other areas of life, no one has a problem with women Demi's age.

Lots of "older" women are very successful in politics and in all kinds of other careers.*****Admin., I agree once again. What worries me is the media focus on "bikini bodies" and "reality tv stars" and so on that gives terrible messages to our children; both female and male.

My appologies if I stepped on toes with my Brooke Shields/Jodie Foster comment.

I forgot about the Blue Lagoon movie, and other stuff with Brooke,. I remember the John Hinkley/Jodie Foster thing, and I very happy the Prez didn't die that day. I guess my point was that we all know the horror stories of child stars - Dana Plato, Gary Coleman, many, many others, who never saw a dime of their own money thanks to greedy partnes (are you listening Kate?!) or lost their fortune to drugs. The 3 I mentioned are shining stars now and have weathered the storm of growning up in H'wood.

My heart really goes out the Gosselin kids. They never had a voice to say "no" when it came to having intimate deatils of their lives filmed. And someday they will hear their "mother" say "whatever they capture they can use... The twins will soon start jr. high, which was torture for many of us - and we never had our most private moments broadcast to millions or have "mom" trapse around the world with paps documenting everything - (the pics of her running through the staged smoke in the AU zoo...broom hair waving in the wind....that makes me want to vomit...Kate - you are not on a runway - GROW UP!) I was teased in school, and that stuff is still hard to think about. Imagine having Kate for a "mother" and going through the hell of being bullied....she'll never be sympathetic - rather, she'll tweet her kids problems to her 7 imaginary friends and the 74k dummy twitter accounts.

A few former child stars who, AFAIK, have never complained about it nor said their parents stiffed them: Alyssa Milano, the Savage brothers, Nancy McKeon -- well, really all the girls from "The Facts of Life". Admittedly, a lot of child stars have problems, but to some extent, their problems are the same as many adolescents face, just magnified because they are in the public eye. Do I think many child stars aren't screwed up as kids AND as adults? No. Do I think they are screwed up BECAUSE they are/were child stars? Some of them, but I think some of them would be screwed up if they grew up in Smalltown USA, too. It's sort of the chicken/egg question with a twist. It takes a remarkably level-headed, unselfish, firm, and adult parent to raise a child star. There are a few of those out there.

Re Jon and his announcing his break-up with Ellen on twitter: I agree that he did it partly for self-protection, but I also think he was protecting Ellen, too. The Jon/Ellen haters would see pix of her out with someone else and would immediately jump to "she's cheating on him" or "she's a slut". I have absolutely no problems with what he did.

Admin, I agree that some people will always go after Jon for doing absolutely nothing wrong and doing what most people do, including his ex-wife. After all, these are the same people who labeled him a "man-child" and called him "the 9th child" because he enjoyed being with his chldren and playing with them. A father who likes to play with his children?! What a scandal! How dare he!

Re the Jon issue -- I'm reminded of an actor about 10 years ago - can't think who it was. Maybe you remember, Admin. Anyway, this actor was photographed out for dinner with a young woman, not his wife. The tabloids had a field day about his cheating on his wife, they were getting a divorce, etc. Turned out, the young woman was his much younger sister. Anyone else remember that?

From what I gather, it is not clear that the age difference bothered Ashton (?) OR Demi's behavior and actions trying to re enact being 30.

If you read the Vanity Fair article on the break up, it will become abundantly clear why they broke up. Seems to me the age difference was the primary cause. In short, he wanted kids, they thought she could get pregnant and she didn't. He wants a family.

I seem to remember there were rumors they were undergoing fertility treatments. That can be stressful. The fact of the matter is at that age it can be very hard to have a baby, and if a man wants to assure himself he'll have children of his own, he needs to keep that in mind when marrying a 40 year old.

After all, these are the same people who labeled him a "man-child" and called him "the 9th child" because he enjoyed being with his chldren and playing with them. A father who likes to play with his children?! What a scandal! How dare he!

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I am believing more and more none of these sheep have stable, loving, involved husbands and fathers in their lives. And for that I am very sorry they are not experiencing that.

I'm worried that when Kate finally realizes no further TV offers are coming her way, she will encourage some of the kids to go into show biz. She won't be able to 'sell' the group package because some of the kids just aren't into that scene or would do well in it. Cara, for example, like sports- is amazing at all she tries apparently...But Mady and Hannah for example just might have the looks and personalities that do 'sell' in show biz, and Mady has a nice singing voice. As for the icky boys, once J & K were mocking Joel saying he'd be a good gay model because he said he was Daddy's girl and liked pink and girls' things???(They were mixed up on that one) These kids have had their sense of entitlement drilled into them so maybe expect an easy street life- I think Kate would definitely allow the kids to do television or films.and she would be the manager in charge of their earnings...

NE, I can't stand the double standard with women either. No one ever talks about how old male actors look. The older they get the hotter people seem to think they are. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are still cover boys and probably always will be.

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But not so with Robert Redford. I watched him "The Sting" the other night and he was such a cutie, and then I came across this article...

http://hahajk.com/entertainment/study-robert-redford-no-longer-sexy/

I was sorry I saw it. Sometimes it's best to remember old crushes the way they were (pun intended).

Just read a rumourfix article about Jon: Apparently, a source told them that Jon was out with a bunch of co-workers. So, good for Jon. The sheeple and Kate devotee and certain media, still take things a twist it, and are saying that Jon is back to his old ways. Where do these people get this crap from. I agree it probably was a person out to make a buck, on Jon and female pic. As for pics of Jon picking kids up from school stop, I do believe Kate called the pap and had him follow Jon, take pics and sell them and split the money with Kate or Kate is paying the pap, to take pics, so Kate can get mentioned in the article, keeping her in the media. Think about it everytime they mention anything that is remotely related to Kate, Kate name gets mentioned. Be it her kids, Jon(especially), DWTS, or TLC about the family shows etc. Well it seems that Kate is having a Super bowl party, which means as someone said on last thread, that she will have some weird combo food. And I bet it will contain salsa, and with broccoli, and some kid of beans and organic stuff. What: sloppy joe, her invented bean dish, half raw organic,chicken bake, etc? I guess the kids will each get a tablespoon scoop of food. Poor kids!

I also remember Kate's rule, if the kids did not want to be filmed they were not. But then there is a camera in one of the kids faces and the kid clearly said not to film him. Uh...yeah but he's still being filmed.

The kids have put their hands up in front of the camera, put signs on the door, or Mady who opened the door to see if the camera was gone, then shut it quickly when it was not.

And this is okay? Hardly. Admin, are you still doing your little blogs on from the older shows, your comparisons or something?

Kate just invites criticism every time she retweets a message glorifying her. She doesn't retweet anything but those, or messages she can insert herself into (such as hinting for a magazine cover or job). The other day, someone tweeted that she obviously had wonderful parents because look how she turned out, and she agreed with them at the end of the retweet. She's the only twitter I ever look at up above. Do other people do this???

Slaps hand to forehead. Forget the mother crap, God definitely had a plan???? I freaking HATE when religious people justify bad behavior as "God's plan." How arrogant of you to assume you know what God's plan is for you, and how convenient you have a God so you can exploit whoever you want as part of his plan.

Beth, I think it was the opposite. Kate didn't move to CA because they're too strict. You can't touch your 15% in CA, but in PA, she can dip into the children's trusts for school, etc. Which in my opinion, renders that trust meaningless. There will always be necessities for a child. It's a joke.

===============================================

Thanks for the info, Admin. Just when I think Kate can't get any lower, I learn something new.

It's a damn shame that Taren's parents spent 4.5 million of his money. At least he is left with 1.5 million. The Gosselin kids won't even have that.

Could anonymous@47 be our old friend "oh yes se can"? It kind of sounds like her style if writing.

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Nope. She posts under Still Don't Like Them, Philly Worker, Pap Wife, Flight Attendant, Child Care Worker, Still Down The Road, Still Can't Stand Her, So Sad.

Paragraphs consist of one or two lines, with etc. etc. throughout, and spells Jon as "John." Posts always include some insider information or reference to her job, her kids (who are never the same sex or age) or a relative.

This one is a sheeple. "Oh, Yes" hates Kate and Steve. You can tell that Anonymous is a sheeple troll because no sheeple has an understanding of "you" and "you're," and always spell "their" as "thier." It's in the Sheeple book of rules.

Dee said... 36 That's called "trolling". You'll probably get called out anywhere you try that, because you're not adding an alternate opinion, but trying to discredit someone else's.====You're right Dee. Admin, I'd better step up here and take some responsiblity for my comment to *that's life* earlier today. I should have responded to the post more civily. Unfortunately even the name they chose irritated me, in the same way Kate's response to her kids is 'suck it up, be a man', etc, irritates me.

I think a quid pro quo discussion about child exploitation from Kate supporters would be interesting. I'd promise to be nice in exchange for them promising to explain their reasoning. I really need to understand where they're coming from.

Yes I remember hearing some stories about pinning her endless curls and her not having very many friends, and found some more info on that:

--Shirley's hair wasn't actually curly. Her mother would put 56 pin curls in her hair every day, and on Sunday she would give her hair a vinegar rinse, while reading The Wizard of Oz. Shirley wasn't allowed to swim in their pool or at the beach, because her curls would flatten out.

-- she didn't have much fun for her party, but afterwards Bill took her to a back lot and presented her with a small red children's car. Shirley drove all around the studio with Bill hanging on the back.

--She rode to the sets hiding under a blanket so she wouldn't be recognized and mobbed.

--She wore fake baby teeth so she wouldn't have missing teeth in films because she was at an age where various baby teeth were falling out.

--Apparently she was a klutz. She tripped at hurt herself right before auditioning for Stand Up And Cheer and auditioned with a bleeding forehead. She also tripped and knocked a TOOTH out right before putting her handprints in cement. She did it anyway.

I think a quid pro quo discussion about child exploitation from Kate supporters would be interesting.

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It's okay AA, it was a troll and not just because they had a different opinion.

Quid pro quo is fine, and we do this kind of thing a lot. Even now the challenge has been thrown down to find an adult star who didn't have a messed up childhood. Everyone anyone comes up with who looks okay, sure enough someone can find something highly questionable in their growing up years. That is a back and forth that is fun and interesting, not trolly.

By the way Shirley Temple reminds me how it was even worse back in the day. A famous story about Natalie Wood, who has always been afraid of water, is that she was pushed into water for filming purposes in a scene. She nearly drowned and was scared to death. Sadly and ironically, she drowned decades later.

Kate didn't move to CA because they're too strict. You can't touch your 15% in CA, but in PA, she can dip into the children's trusts for school, etc. Which in my opinion, renders that trust meaningless. There will always be necessities for a child. It's a joke.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yes. It's embarrassing. That never should have been put into the new child labor laws. As far as I can tell, the only advantage to the new laws is the addition of the set teacher. However, it's unclear as to who pays for the teacher, exactly what the role is, and who the set teacher answers to if violations occur.

Moreover, I haven't been able to figure out if there is a watchdog overseeing the 15 percent rule - to whom does the parent or guardian have to answer as to exactly how the money is used? Any amount of money can be used for the child's welfare -- even to pay monthly bills on the house's security system, or mortgage.

It's a step in the right direction, but I think so much more needs to be done.

"I'd promise to be nice in exchange for them promising to explain their reasoning. I really need to understand where they're coming from."

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THEY don't understand where they're coming from so how could they have a discussion about it? If they had any kind of reasoning ability, or logical explanations, it would be different. However, logic and reason aren't in their vocabulary.

...the studio invited a bunch of kids she did't know to her birthday party. ====

Margaret O'Brien and three other child stars from the Shirley Temple era were interviewed by Robert Osbourne on Turner Classic Movies awhile back. (I think Margaret can be counted as a coming through successfully).

Margaret and Jane Withers said Shirley Temple was such a hot commodity that the studio heads would not allow the less famous child stars to interact with her off the sets.

Just curious.. Has anyone here seen the move called "the baby" crazy!! I guess it was based on a true story.. Not trying to compare it to the gosselins.. But.. Lol check it out. Was a strange movie. But knowing it was based on a true story was sad.

That is so pathetically sad to separate Shirley out from the other kids.

I think it does one of three things. It makes the kid feel so special and arrogant and they turn into a horrible cocky spoiled monster. Or, it makes a kid feel like there is something wrong with him and they feel isolated and less than and strange.

Or, finally, they somehow draw upon their spirit and tenacity to make it through. Shirley Temple, by some miracle, pulled through.

I was sorry I saw it. Sometimes it's best to remember old crushes the way they were (pun intended). =====I read that. Doesn't it just stab you in the heart? Robert Redford now joins other men famously sought after by women in their youth only to be shunned as they neared death...

"But didn't Dakota fanning wear fake teeth too? I hope she turns out ok. But odds are against her."

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Another one to watch is Abigail Breslin, who started her career when she was three (commercials). She and her brother, Spencer, are managed by their mother, Kim. Abbie is the granddaughter of a local couple. It's a very close-knit,, supportive family, and so far, so good.

Holy cow, I watched a movie, came back, and she retweeted yet another message glorifying herself and the picture that she retweeted is nothing to be proud of either - she looks silly! Her ego knows no bounds. Wowee.

I doubt any of these stories of good kids gone bad or in bad situations, reality or otherwise famous kids as an impact upon her or her kids.

Sure, things could go wrong, kids even if not famous can end up in drugs or with other problems, teen pregnancies these days seems to be "popular," and or at least less, oh what's the word...less shameful? Kids younger and younger are into more serious crimes.

None of this though I think will make Kate change. Kate wants what SHE wants. Her mantra of "I do it all for my kids." struck me so similar to Jane and her, "I scarified for my kids." Again, it's all about Kate. None of it is about her kids. It will always be about her, how she see's things, how she feels. Kate says she will and has no regrets about anything thus far so I doubt she will come later years.

I just don't see her feeling guilty over the "spilled milk," of no money for her kids. All she will see is: Well I did this for you, we did these trips you should just be grateful. If you don't want to participate or work beside me then you get nothing!

I have ever feeling she will hold the brand of Gosselin over their heads with very little individuality. They either go with it or get dropped.

All these child stars, a few I have heard say they regret it, they wanted to stop but were continually pushed by who? By their mothers or parents. That they were bribed or told other things. It's there it has to be. Kids get used to the lifestyle of getting everything they want or VIP.

But the thing is, when is fame really worth it? You can have talent but having that talent and sharing it shouldn't be worth ones unhappiness.

I go back to the fact that Kate said she was forced to play the violin even though she did not want to I believe it was walled up in her room for four hours. Four hours, sound familiar with four hour naps? I see Kate repeating her control she might have been taught. Do as I say, because I said so, that's never going to change, because I'm bigger than so, etc.

Nothing will be her fault it never is. It is everyone else around her. Therefore it will be her kids own fault if things go wrong. God forbid the kids get into drugs, have DUI, end up arrested or in court or pregnant. Nothing that could happen to these kids will be Kate's fault. She's the one who provided the best for them, she will have in her mind done everything right it will be their fault or everyone else's for the way things turned out.

It's wrong I know but this is what I see happening. I look at other kids of actors who do bizarre things or are given a mile when they should have been given an inch.

It'll be Jackie Coogan, Baby Peggy, Shirley Temple, Olson Twins, Miley Cyrus, Suri Cruise all over again with these kids maybe. But it will never be Kate's fault.

Sure lots of teens get into trouble. But often they will be able to link it to something. Abuse in the home, parents that weren't there for them, authoritarian parenting, too passive parenting. There is not always a cause for bad teen behavior, but it often is the parents.

What I think child stardom does, however, is create a conflict of interest of the parent. Parents who normally might have been able to help teens to get through the teen years relatively unscathed, become blinded by the money and fame. Like Kate they start convincing themselves that the family needs the fame and money and that it's all worth it, no regrets.

The fact that so many child stars have directly pinpointed horrible things as a direct result of their stardom just speaks to how much of a negative influence this curious thing we call fame has had. There IS a way to get through it, there are parents out there who remain on their children's sides instead of on the side of fame and money. But those are bad odds for being blessed with parents like that.

Brooke Shields first movie was Pretty Baby, when she was around 12-13 years old. This is the plot summary from Wikipedia.

Plot summary

"The film is set in 1917, during the last months of legal prostitution in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans, Louisiana. Hattie, a prostitute working at the elegant brothel run by the elderly Madame Nell, has a 12-year-old daughter Violet, who lives at the house. Hattie has also just given birth to a baby boy. When photographer Ernest J. Bellocq comes by with his camera Hattie and Violet are the only ones awake. He asks to be allowed to take photographs of the women. Madame Nell agrees if he pays. He takes many photographs of several of the prostitutes, but mostly of Hattie. His activities fascinate Violet.

Nell decides that Violet is now old enough for her virginity to be auctioned. At the auction Violet is bought by an apparently quiet customer, but her first experience of sex is unpleasant. Hattie, meanwhile, aspires to escape prostitution. She marries, abandons Violet, and goes to St. Louis. Violet stays in the brothel as a prostitute. Bellocq continues to spend time with Violet, entranced by her beauty, youthful and photogenic face. When the brothel closes, Bellocq and Violet wed, ostensibly to protect her from the larger world. He is much older, however, and others question his motives in marrying her. They live together in his isolated house. Hattie and her husband return. They say that the marriage was illegal without their consent and tell Violet to come away with them. She moves to St. Louis to a life of conventional respectability with her stepfather and little brother, leaving Bellocq behind."

I saw this movie when it came out. I believe there were some nude scenes in the movie--this was not just being sexualized. It was child abuse and child pornography. In the 70s there were many movies released, with major stars, that included full frontal nudity and graphic sexual scenes and this movie took it one step further. It did create a stir, but nothing close to what it deserved. Blue Lagoon, in comparison, was a sweet love story--in the vein of Romeo and Juliette (played by 13 year old Olivia Hussey).

Jodi Foster played a 12 year old prostitute in Taxi Driver--when she was 12 years old. Fortunately, none of these movies would be made today with minors. Clearly, their parents failed to protect their children. I wonder if Kate's overexposure of herself and her children, has provided us with the reason famous children are at much higher risk for depression, substance abuse and suicide--because one or both parents lack the personal boundaries and instinct to protect, rather than exploit their children.

I think that having the kind of parent that pushes their children into the spotlight or pressures them to focus on a single activity--musical instrument, sports, ice skating, academics--might be the single factor that puts a child at risk.

Had a rare sunny day in Seattle, so just getting caught up on posts. Great topic, Admin!

Yes sadly there certainly are still movies out there that feature children in sexual situations.

That movie the Reader is about an older woman's affair with a teenager. The excellent actor who plays the teen I heard was 17 at the time, about to turn 18. They took care to film all of the sex scenes after his 18th birthday. The more benign stuff was filmed when he was 17.

18 still sounds young to be in a nude scene, but at least he was an adult then.

Pretty Baby is actually a good example of the conflict of interest parents had.

Most parents would be horrified. But there are some, like Brooke Shield's mom, who think, major movie, huge chance to break into the industry, getting paid a lot of money, huge costars (Susan Sarandon I think, right?). If we turn it down we could be blacklisted.

And all of that interferes with a parent who would otherwise OF COURSE never permit their child to be in such a situation in any other context.

Which is why independent advocates need to be assigned to these children. Heck, I'd even go so far as to suggest child stars need independent guardian ad litems every single time not matter how well meaning the parents are. As well as independent trustees of their money whose only loyalties are with the child himself. I think this is the direction we are going, but it will be a slow one.

In reading that description, how could a 12 year old even fully understand what that movie was about to play this role? They shouldn't. It's frightening to think about someone explaining to 12-year-old Brooke Shields about prostitution and sex and all of the things she would have to embody in that movie. That alone is abusive.

I still am uncomfortable with Blue Lagoon, although when I looked it up, they said they used a body double for the nude scenes. Well, that's a bit better I guess. She was only 15 for pity sake.

Yes they are. Dakota Fanning was raped by a pedophile in some movie called Dog Pound or something like that. I don't really want to know what it's called.

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Pretty Baby had actual nude scenes. Dakota Fanning was in Lovely Bones, which, I think included a rape scene. It may have been graphically depicted (didn't see it--I have daughters!) Maybe someone who saw it can elaborate on it. Yes, I agree with you that disturbing sexually themed movies are still made with minors. However, at least in the US, they don't have nude scenes. Nudity may be implied, but not actually shown. Are actors/actresses still sexualized?--yes, absolutely. I wasn't saying that current movies filmed with minors don't have sexual content. As in Admin's example, nude scenes, if included, are shot with actors that are over 18 and can give legal consent. It is at least a step in the right direction. Dakota Fanning seems to be exceptionally mature and she is enormously talented--time will tell how her stardom and choices of roles has effected her. . I would never have allowed my own daughters to participate in that kind of role. So, actually, no disagreement here

ugh-- Xfinity On Demand is running ads for an edited version of the E, THS episode featuring Kate. "Everything I do is for my children, because of them and always will be. quick shots of Emmy dress, reverse mullet, DWTS" Why?????

AU Contraire--As I said, I didn't see the movie. I remember one of my kids talking about Fanning in a movie with rape or molestation--thought it was Lovely Bones.Is there a different movie that you were referring to?

A lot of people will probably disagree (American puritanical people) but I would rather my mature, intelligent teen daughter play the role of an abused/rape/just plain old sex scene than a violent role where she shoots or blows someone up just for the heck of it.

The young girl in "The Lovely Bones" was played by Saoirse Ronan. The Dakota Fanning movie was "Hound Dog". There aren't, as au contraire pointed out, any overtly sexual scenes in "The Lovely Bones". I haven't seen the Fanning movie, but as I understand it, it's pretty close to child porn. I can't imagine a parent who permits their child to appear in anything like that. I've never liked Jessica Biehl for a similar reason. Her FATHER encouraged her to appear topless on the cover of a "gentleman's magazine" when she was 16 or 17, to get her out of her contract for "7th Heaven". How twisted is that?

A friend of mine who's a pollster and deals in percentages of parts of society in this or that demographic once pointed out that in comparison, the percentage of child actors with screwed up lives isn't much different from that of non-child actors. We just hear more about their problems because they already had our attention. I think I said that in an odd way, so I hope it makes sense.

I did see Hound Dog and I hate to use the word like, but the movie did keep my attention, which is hard to do. I am so tired of movies that are just sex,violence and swearing, but that is what alot of this movie entails, it happens to have a storyline though.

My memory is crap, I can't even remember if this was a book first. If it was, I didn't read it, but it should have stayed a book if so in my opinion.

This is from Widipedia.

"The film garnered a great deal of attention, and generated intense controversy, owing to the use of such a young actress in a role that included a rape scene. Though the scene only showed Fanning's face and her character's reaction to the trauma of the act,[2][3] it became known as the "Dakota Fanning rape movie" at the Sundance Film Festival.[4] Fanning expressed ire towards the attacks against her family, most of which she said were directed toward her mother.[5]

Because of the outcry over Hounddog, North Carolina State Senator and minority leader Phil Berger called for all future films made in North Carolina to have their scripts approved in advance if they are to get the normal production subsidy from the state. Berger says that he has not seen the film but is acting in response to what he has read about it.[6]

As of March 22, 2010, the movie has 50 reviews on RottenTomatoes.com and rates at 16%, certified rotten.[7] However, Fanning was praised for her performance by Roger Ebert, who compared it to Jodie Foster's in Taxi Driver.[8]"

I never knew those facts about Shirley Temple. I remember watching her movies on Sunday mornings when I was little. Loved her.

I'd never heard the negative Daniel Radcliffe stories until now. Too bad. But just this past week he's made the rounds of the talk shows (he has a movie to promote, imagine that! AND he's talented!) and he seems like an articulate, humorous, level-headed young man. I hope that's the accurate picture of him. He's still very young (22?), so if he got all the misbehavior out of his system by now, he should do well going forward in his life.

To Tamara - "pissed" in the UK (and Canada?) isn't used in the same sense as in the US, where it has generally the same meaning as "pissed off." UK version means drunk - right? I finally figured that out after spending a lot of time with Scottish musicians!

Tamara, I'd love to see those statistics in righting. And how do they define "screwed up." Because I don't know kids in most other contexts who lose all their money to their parents. Most other kids don't make significant money.

Even if true, it doesn't make it right to steal a child's money, force them to work long hours, isolate them from other kids, and on and on. It's actually pretty irrelevant whether other kids are also messed up for different reasons. This is one reason we DO have control over.

A lot of people will probably disagree (American puritanical people) but I would rather my mature, intelligent teen daughter play the role of an abused/rape/just plain old sex scene than a violent role where she shoots or blows someone up just for the heck of it. &&&&

I would rather teen girls (or boys) be in neither. I would rather they just go to school and play sports and have friends their age and if Hollywood knocks at 18 fine they can do it then. Though I think a child's sexuality is something that should be guarded as of the upmost importance to a parent, even as a child slowly gets exposed to other facets of the world, like violence.

OT but I see Kate, who is having an exciting Superbowl party, does not know what team the Patriots are playing ?!? She's so...uninformed. You'd think one of the kids could fill her in. I wonder how many recipes fans sent her? I bet she will reveal the menu...

Ha! Me too! I can't stand those overrated films, but there's not many people I can say that too.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me either. I hate overhyped films. I refuse to watch them.

I dont believe that Kate even knows what a Superbowl party is suppose to be like. She will include all sorts of random oddball food items. The Superbowl is suppose to include lots of junk food. I am going to an anti Superbowl party today. We are not going to watch the game. Instead, we will be playing board games. We may watch the puppy bowl. Who can resist the cute puppies, kittens and piglets?

Ex Nurse said... 103 ugh-- Xfinity On Demand is running ads for an edited version of the E, THS episode featuring Kate. "Everything I do is for my children, because of them and always will be. quick shots of Emmy dress, reverse mullet, DWTS" Why?????

*************Ex, That's the one I was asking about! I heard it in the background yesterday, but didn't know which show it was. I was interested in the narrator saying she has "grab syndrome", being deperate to grab everything she can while she can get it. No, I will not be watching it! I was just curious.As for women in show business getting older, I think all those actresses who are panicking about their age should look to stars like Helen Mirren. She's an "older" actress (late 60s) who is absolutely gorgeous and such a class act. We could all learn a lesson about aging gracefully from her.

She probably knows that the Giants are playing (and will win!) but she thinks it's cute to act the fool. Remember she's not into sports. How can she not know who's playing since she lives back East? Oh that's right, she doesn't read a newspaper, my bad. Hey Kate, we're having a real super bowl party. Everyone brings something so that I don't have to make all the snacks. Diet be damned today since my Giants are in it and I can't wait to see Puppy bowl and Howard Stern's commercial. Did I say GO GIANTS?!

Sorry if any of this was discussed, I always read from the bottom up on posts. I have always wondered what, if any ,discussions about being paid for the shows that the Rolofs' and Duggars had.

I can see the Duggars'kids not even broaching the subject re: utmost respect and believing their parents were doing what was best for all of them. Their religion would decide I think ,that this was something for the parents to make rules on, as in most other subjects, and they all just said 'yes, Daddy.'

The Roloffs' kids have always worked on the farm and been paid to help out like during pupmkin season.They had a nice house, took some great vacations , but I didn't see them having big entitlement issues.

They didn't live beyond their means, I don't think.They should have learned some cleaning chores, not for pay necessarily, just because they all live in that house and should help out.The messes there drove me crazy!

Then, again Kate's kids did nothing to help out and thought they deserved the very best of everything, as in toys, trips, clothes, but this was taught to them by Kate,so not their fault.They obviously lived way above their means, when Kate had no job to carry this lifestyle on. The kids really have no one who could enforce their 15% be saved for them.

I would realy like to know if money was put aside for the Roloffs' and Duggar kids to pursue any educational dreams they might have.Just doing some Sunday morning musings...

Annie2: I love the Puppy Bowl! In our house the 'men' will be watching the game and eating junk, while my daughter and I catch some of the Puppies...I'm sure Kate will report on the wonderful memories she made and how grateful the kids are...

As for child stars- I have read (from the library!) the autobiographies of some TV 'stars' and it seems many of the Brady Bunch kids, Full House, Little House, One Day at A Time, even soap opera kids- have dealt with drugs, sex, sexual abuse, eating disorders and more at an early age. Many had dysfunctional families. Is it more apparent because their stories are in print and the rest of the mediocre ones have their secrets locked away? I don't think so...but it can happen to anyone. I just think the dynamics of putting a child in the position of breadwinner, commodity if you will, encourages trouble as they are living in an adult world too young.I remember learning that Buffy from Family Affair years back had killed herself after a life of drugs and rejection after TV was finished with her.

I still am uncomfortable with Blue Lagoon, although when I looked it up, they said they used a body double for the nude scenes. Well, that's a bit better I guess. She was only 15 for pity sake.********I do wonder how old this nameless body double was.At least she's anonymous.

Not saying that it isn't wrong when the parents of child actors spend their money on things they shouldn't, but it's just as wrong when the parents of regular old child workers need to spend their kid's money because the kids are helping to feed and shelter their family. It happens a lot, as does children whom we've never seen on a single screen doing drugs, drinking, being abused. In our lifetime no more than 50 child actors will be hurt by their parents not doing their job well enough (or at all), whereas there will be 50 million children whom we've never heard of. So, with that rambling explination, I will go back to the people getting pissed (yes, drunk) at the Super Bowl party. Go Giants!!!!

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 93 How can someone look like this after having twins and sextuplets?

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Easy, the knife. Why is Kate taking credit for what was largely done by surgical means? Apparently this ignorant tweeple didn't see the tummy tuck episode. _______________________________________________

Ugh, so true. Conservatively and IMO, Kate has undergone about $25,000 worth of plastic surgery including other possible cosmetic enhancements (Botox, Juvederm, microderm, etc). She would deny having the tummy tuck (as Octomom does) if it hadn't been televised. It makes me so angry that Kate denies all the other procedures and acts like exercize, "hard work" and her organic diet got her that way. When she and other real, legitimate celebrities do this they send such a false and misleading message to their fans, especially young fans.

Back to the ridiculous ass-kissing compliments, it can only be one of two things. Either the tweeple have figured out that the only way to get a guaranteed response + a RT from Khate is to crawl up her flat bum with an over the top compliment, OR... it's Julie C.M. planting these compliments under fake twatter names. They seem to be occuring with more frequency these days just as the desperation level has increased to sell kruise tickets. And THIS is what the sheeple claim we are jellus of? Having to beg people to go on a cruise with her so she can get a paycheck? Having to dangle her twins in front of them like bait in the 11th hour because it's not selling? No freakin' thank you.

Because the sheeple seem to read here (and stir shit) I will say again, there is not one thing about Kate Gosselin's life I am jellus of. I don't say this to brag because that is not me.... but in addition to our other jobs, hubby and I have purchased and renovated three foreclosed properties for rentals in the last three years and are currently working on a fourth. When the sheeple claim we are "jellus" I just have the biggest belly laughs! Kate is a professional beggar, waiting for some network to swoop in and pick up supporting her where TLC left off. I am waiting for no one. I'm in control of my destiny. We've created a comfortable life for ourselves as a result of hard work. I beg for nothing. I don't need to use my kids as bait. My house is built of bricks, Kate's is built of straw and comes with a 30 yr. mortgage. The only thing I feel for her is pity that she was unable/unwilling to use the fame she did have to parlay it into something more long lasting. Her narcissism cut her out of show business. Jellus? No.... never.

One of the things that I always disliked about Kate was her stupid "girls can't like sports" decree. Especially for Cara, who was athletic back when she was on tv. Then again, that family always had the most annoying, sexist, just plain wrong rules about gender.

She has no shame/boundaries. Her latest tweet:Awkward:When a woman tells me in groc store:'my husband saw you in ppl mag& sd 'Kate is smokin' hot!' That never gets easier...what2say?! less than a minute ago

You know, I don't now if it's a recent thing but Kate seems to be having all the sudden "friends" over more often, having parties of various kinds. When back in the old days, I don't remember ever seeing friends over or really any parties. Aside from the sextuplets birthdays which were always extravagant.

Kate is having a Super Bowl party? Isn't this the same woman who was deeply disturbed when one of her son's said he was a girl? The same woman who said because, "you're a girl," one of her daughter's couldn't have a lizard backpack?

I guess I just don't get it. Boys are icky, boys are filthy, boys are strange, their nails are horrendous. Girls are more helpful, girls have more words and so on. But she is getting ready to watch a sport played by men? Sure her kids freak out if they get wet or dirty and football you know is such a clean sport.

Where are all these supposed friends coming from? We never see her out in town having lunch or shopping with friends. I haven't. But her friends are suddenly stopping by, texting her on how great a runner she is and what she should do. The same friends she screamed at because she is scared of running?

Now she celebrates Halloween parties, Super Bowl parties, Christmas parties and all these others when prior she did not? Why? Is this something new we are going to see with her trying to appeal to any audience possible?

hey Jude said,,,They didn't live beyond their means, I don't think.They should have learned some cleaning chores, not for pay necessarily, just because they all live in that house and should help out.The messes there drove me crazy!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!At least we know that the Roloffs weren't spending their kids money on housekeepers! I the used their kids' money, I think all of their money went into financing Matt's crazy projects.

1. She just said she was starting to cook- why is she now in the grocery?2. One just does NOT repeat 'compliments' How gauche.

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yes, Kate was always so gender-conscious. Boys can't play with purple dolls, Joel couldn't ride the pink trike, told the boys to run across the lawn , but she didn't tell the girls to ( getting chickens epi), definite division of tasks according to gender...herself- remember she thought it was 'normal' for the husband to put gas in both cars?? Well, that's one trick she has learned for the photo opp..not driving hither, thither & yon for the boys' trips 'that's Jon's job" Yet, she relaxed the rules as far as bathing & dressing the kids...hmm.

I've always thought a big reason the roloff twin aren't motivated to work much is because they already have access to ample money. Money they deserve of course. Which is sort of a double edged sword like a trust fund kid who does nothing all day.

Pjs Momma saidShe has no shame/boundaries. Her latest tweet:Awkward:When a woman tells me in groc store:'my husband saw you in ppl mag& sd 'Kate is smokin' hot!' That never gets easier...what2say?! less than a minute ago))))))))))))))))))))))She posed for a national magazine that is in every grocery store, salon, library and convenience store in a skimpy white bikini--I gues she thinks that she just happened to wander into the frame.

2. One just does NOT repeat 'compliments' How gauche.====Gauche is the perfect word to describe Kate. The woman is such a clod. And it was a clearly the longest tweet she's ever tweeted. It's so pathetic she has to mention a compliment she received from a (photoshopped, airbrushed) magazine cover from almost 2 years ago.

Smokin hot??? Like Demi Moore who recently collapsed and is undergoing treatment with a an intuitive medical practitioner? In the last pictures I saw of Demi, she resembled a character in a fantasy video game aimed at teenage boys. Is that where Kate is heading...no, I don't think so. Demi is an accomplished actress. She will always have a successful career, based on her real accomplishments and hopefully,, she will someday realize that. For Kate--smokin hot is the pinnacle of what she will accomplish--even that, she had a lot of help from a sugeon's knife.

When a woman tells me in groc store:'my husband saw you in ppl mag& sd 'Kate is smokin' hot!'------Kate's Lie Translator: when I was spending my kid's hard earned money on wine and ciggs I saw a bikini clad woman on the cover of a magazine and forced Stevie-O and my kids to tell me how smokin' hot I am everytime they saw me for the next week. Then make cards for me that say how smokin' hot I am for the week after that.

It's bad enough when she retweets the compliments sent by her tweeties-but now she has to post her own? She reminds me of the witch in Snow White saying "Mirror, mirror on the wall-who's the fairest one of all?". Except in her case, her tweeties are the mirror.

Haha! Kate must be SO insecure to have to tweet about being stopped and told she is "hot". Oh wait, not just hot, but "smokin' hot". Hilarious. For all we know, the woman who stopped her weighed 400 pounds and was toothless and her husband looks the same.

Yes, it is just a burden to be so "hot", isn't it Kate? Big sigh. Just so awkward and it never gets easier. She is so desperate to be relevant. It is over! Accept it. I guess if she can't get national press, she can promote herself on twitter with random grocery shopper comments. Pretty funny.

Well, at least we have her menu and pictures to look forward to(cough)...she promises to post them after the festivities....didn't she get the recipes from fans, and one was 'concerned' Kate would plagiarize them??

She is definitely twisting the truth- twist of Kate- she can't be here, there & everywhere at once multitasking, even if she CAN run and text at the same time...

You know who my husband thinks is hot (smokin hot)...Sofia Vergara. If I ever saw Sofia in the supermarket I, (as a normal person) would not approach her. If for some reason I lost my mind and did approach her I would not tell her that my husband thinks she's smokin hot. I would tell her that I enjoy her as an actress and she does very well at her craft/talent.

Tamara though I don't condone any parent taking their child's money, most other jobs kids would have in most states require you to be at least 14 or 15 and severely limit your hours. Most kids are well protected. You never hear, oh the poor 8 year old busses tables at Chilis for 14 hour shifts because it's simply illegal. Kids on tv however have been notoriously under protected compared to peers working other part time regular jobs for a little spending money.

Also the fact that other children out there will be abused in other ways doesn't make abuse of kids in the entertainment business any better. Nor does it mean we dont care about them In fact many of us here have devoted our life's work to the child abuse problem. The difference is at least people recognize that kind of abuse.

Hell, even I think Sofia Vergara is smoking hot! She's as funny as she is beautiful. I've seen her interviewed many times and she comes across as real, self-deprecating, and super fun. She was on Ellen recently and Ellen asked if her son's friends all loved coming to her house and she said they do because she's there in full hair and makeup, cleaning the floor with a rag. It was hilarious! She has humility and talent - both things that Kate sorely lacks.

Kate knows nothing about football,( was it a football game epi when she didn't go?) not even which teams are playing (maybe) so I doubt it would be much of a discussion...besides, she's ' slaving over her sides' That's what she said at Xmas that she does most holidays/occasions, as she would 'do anything for her 8 kids...' She has to 'feed' them , y'know...

"...said Kate is smokin' hot."....and then Kate woke up from her dream! So unless she is talking to her imaginary friends again Kate would have no need to say thank you, just wipe the sleep krust from her eyes. So now whenever Kate says something like this I'm just going to finish the statement in my head with "and then she woke up!"

Why is it sooo important to Kate to thought of as smokin' hot anyway? I don't know that that's the goal, normally, of 36 year old mom, is it? At that age, and the ages of the kids, my focus certainly wasn't on being hot. Being healthy, maybe, but not hot.

A couple of things. First as far as the party goes, her "party" guests are her 8 count them 8 children. That to her constitutes a party. She never shows pictures of people at her parties just the food.

Next the smokin hot reference. Really is she that delusional? What sane woman, (so that leaves out sheeple) would go up to anyone and tell them their husband said that. On top of all the body work she has had done lets not forget the photo shop work that also goes into that. My husband showed me a video that was made showing a woman posing for a billboard. They showed from beginning to end the make up and then the photo shopping they did. You would never recognize the person they started out with as being the same one on the billboard.

Strike 2- No man from Central PA would ever classify Kate as "hot." She has been making the local men's cajones jump into their stomach cavities upon sight or mention, since 2004.***********This is the comment of the day! Thanks for the belly laugh, smokin'

You know how she doesn't seem to notice the physical clues. Remember how in the restaurant in China Town that she seemed completely oblivious to the fact the *none* of the kids wanted to sit at her table. They all wanted to sit at Jamie's table. Hmmmm...I wonder why that was.....

Why would anyone care about reading a super bowl menu right before the game? Or the next day?************Because it's not about helping anyone, it's for everyone to OOh and Aaah over her wonderous (not) recipes.

Speaking of her not recognizing physical cues, I thought of her as I was reading an article in the paper about organization at lunch. Remember when Ms. Organized had a professional team of two ladies come to help her organize? She was absolutely giddy with the labeling gun. (Apparently nobody had ever offered her one for free.) There was an old wooden desk in the basement and they showed her that they'd made her a gift wrapping station with it. It was nice! All the tape, scissors, bows, paper, were all organized. She said, "Yeah, not so much. I'll never use it." Both women looked like they got slapped. There was an awkward silence as they looked at each other and they tried to explain how functional it was, pointing out she could use the surface for wrapping, and she completely dismissed them again. I thought, "She is either really dumb at reading cues (they looked hurt) or REALLY cruel and a total witch." In the end, I voted for all three. All this made me wonder if most viewers were like me in the heyday: watching with morbid fascination and anticipation of what kind of crap she'd hurl toward either Jon, the kids, or some unsuspecting person who TLC was paying to be there. She's so ungrateful, so rude, so AWFUL!

I saw that..(that was the day Hannah was SO rotten to Jamie's son Clay- like mother...) I thought the same, PJ's mom. Many examples of this. I would cringe when she was rude to someone or didn't thank a person helping her in a store or act arrogant. I also noticed she tends not to make eye contact - like telling someone they could put her items down in a store, and maybe a mumbled thanks but no human connection.

The more I think about this the harder it is to believe someone would be so rude and blunt as to say that to Kate or any woman. Or am I naive. People can't be that rude.

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It's not really about being rude. It's about the need for attention, for Kate to remember that person. What better way than to come up with something that would stick in Kate's mind than to say that she's hot? The comment could have been intended to be a conversation opener, a clever hook to get Kate to talk, and what better way to hit up Kate's ego? Think Milo.

Admin....would you consider doing a recap of the "8 Little Movie Makers" episode? I know it's old now, but there were lots of signs (either from the kids or from TLC) that they are aware that Kate is squandering away the kids money after making them work so hard for it! It was really a sad episode but in hindsight, it has a lot of really significant signs that there is something very wrong going on with the kids money!

Yeah, that supermarket story is totally believable. I mean Kate is always so approachable. Every picture we see of her, she is smiling and greeting fans. I am sure she engages in conversations about her "hotness" every day with perfect strangers. Remember she is a people person with the gift of gab!!!!!!!!

PJ's momma,What is really ironic about the gift wrapping station is that she made such a big deal about all the wrapping she had to do last Christmas. She said she'd never use it, and yet she claims to spend days and days wrapping. She was just being an ungrateful b**ch. As for the "smokin' hot" comment--I thought it must be one of her pathetic sheeple who was desperate to get a reaction from her, and came up with that crap. Of course, Kate had to run right home and tweet about it. She just was not brought up right, was she?

Auntie Ann - 13: Bingo - that's exactly what I thought. I met her once and all she did was cry about her life. But it's also true that her husband was a master manipulater where she was concerned -- a well-liked attorney who had plenty of buddies in the business. Their family story certainly had a sad and tragic ending.

about the topic of child stars...The last show that I watched was the episode where the little boys had some little figures or stuffed animal. They were trying to hide them (probably so they wouldn't get tossed) and had apparently forgotten the cameras. One of the boys looked up at the camera and visibly reacted. He put his finger to his lips, as in "its a secret, don't tell anyone". I think it was at this point that he realized that he couldn't have secrets. How any mother could see that and not realize that those cameras were interfering in her children's lives in a terrible way is.....I can't even think of a word that is strong enough to describe it.

Note: This is how I remember that episode , but it is entirely likely that some of the details are wrong or that I might have combined different episodes.

Off topic - but did you all hear about Josh Powell, suspected in his wife Susan's disappearance for over 2 years? He's the jerk who said he took his two little boys camping in the middle of the night in the middle of a blizzard, and then suddenly found his wife gone when they got back. He lives here. He killed his children and himself today, exploding the house when the social worker was handing them over for a supervised visit (she got locked out, saving her life). Susan Powell's parents had custody of the boys. If you believe, can you please pray for them? If you don't, can you please send happy and positive thoughts their way? They've lost their daughter and now her sons. Tragic end to a very sad story.

I agree, Kate isn't on the autism spectrum, she's on the narcissistic, selfish bitch spectrum. She doesn't notice people because they just aren't important to her. As simple and sad as that. It extends to her children as well, which is the worst part. She even seems proud that she doesn't interact with the public at large, and that the ability to ignore her children's cries is some sort of great skill.

Here's a male's point of view on that tweet. Matt Clark from Gather.com answers Kate:

“What to say? How about, “Thank you so much?” Apparently, Kate needed to let people on Twitter know that a member of the male population finds her to be “smokin’ hot.” Is that any surprise to anyone, though? Sometimes one has to wonder if these celebs just want more people to tell them they’re hot. Kate may have struggled with insecurity issues in the past or still is. What do you think?”

Just saw a preview I guess for the Duggars' epi about the ? miscarriage. Does anyone think that maybe these parents were very naive and signed their contract without having it checked out by a lawyer, which would mean they didn't have to do episodes that they didn't think were right?

Or did they just get money hungry as a way to ensure enough to feed and clothe their family, etc.? There is a recession and I can see a savvy exec. for TLC talking them into this; I'm torn about this one.I see the family are wearing better clothes and have more gadgets like ipods and cellphones I don't think they would have bought before.Subtle little changes in their belief system taking place, and the world creeping in......

That no human contact thing....my spouse is very much like Kate (sadly). He hurls directions at me from another room, or as he walks away from me. Thus removing any opportunity for interaction or eye contact. He's not asking, he's issuing commands. No reason for eye contact.

ex-nurse (#189) - my memory of the episode is similar to yours, but my internal interpretation was different. I thought that the child was so used to cameras attached to people, that it didn't dawn on him at the time that he was not just asking the live person to keep the secret. He thought it was a personal moment, and it was not.

hey jude (#193) - The Duggars seem savvy enough. I sometimes get the impression that some of the shows are done to EDUCATE the rest of us about their way of life. So, while you and I think an episode about the miscarriage is horribly personal and inappropriate, perhaps they (the Duggars) are thinking they are educating the rest of the world about how their family processes everything. Originally, weren't they doing the show to educate "us" about their religious beliefs?

The best reality T.V. show right now is actually a podcast you listen to. This true crime story of a 1999 murder is so addicting it has people calling in late to work Thursday morning when new episodes come out. After listening to the first few episodes you'll understand why it's the most-downloaded podcast of the year. Did Adnan kill Hae? You decide.